The simple present
tense in English is used to describe an action that is regular, true or normal.
- I take the
train to the office.
- The train to Berlin leaves every
hour.
- John sleeps eight
hours every night during the week.
2. For facts.
- The President of The USA lives in
The White House.
- A dog has four
legs.
- We come from
Switzerland.
3. For habits.
- I get up early
every day.
- Carol brushes her
teeth twice a day.
- They travel to
their country house every weekend.
4. For things that are
always / generally true.
- It rains a lot
in winter.
- The Queen of England lives in
Buckingham Palace.
- They speak English
at work.
Verb Conjugation & Spelling
|
Subject
|
Verb
|
The Rest of the sentence
|
|
I / you / we / they
|
speak / learn
|
English at home
|
|
he / she / it
|
speaks / learns
|
English at home
|
The spelling for the
verb in the third person differs depending on the ending of that verb:
1. For verbs that end
in -O, -CH, -SH, -SS, -X, or -Z we add -ES in
the third person.
- go – goes
- catch – catches
- wash – washes
- kiss – kisses
- fix – fixes
- buzz – buzzes
2. For verbs that end
in a consonant + Y, we remove the Y and add -IES.
- marry – marries
- study – studies
- carry – carries
- worry – worries
NOTE: For verbs that
end in a vowel + Y, we just add -S.
- play – plays
- enjoy – enjoys
- say – says
Negative Sentences in the Simple Present
Tense
To make a negative
sentence in English we normally use Don't or Doesn't with all verbs EXCEPT To
Beand Modal verbs (can, might, should etc.).
- Affirmative: You speak French.
Negative: You don't speak French.
You will see that we
add don't between the subject and the verb. We use Don't when
the subject is I, you,we or they.
- Affirmative: He speaks German.
Negative: He doesn't speak German.
When the subject
is he, she or it, we add doesn't between
the subject and the verb to make a negative sentence. Notice that the
letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence
(because it is in third person) disappears in the negative sentence. We will
see the reason why below.
Negative Contractions
Don't = Do not
Doesn't = Does
not
I don't like
meat = I do not like meat.
There is no difference
in meaning though we normally use contractions in spoken English.
Word Order of Negative Sentences
The following is the
word order to construct a basic negative sentence in English in the Present
Tense using Don't or Doesn't.
|
Subject
|
don't/doesn't
|
Verb*
|
The Rest of the sentence
|
|
I / you / we / they
|
don't
|
have / buy
eat / like etc.
|
cereal for breakfast
|
|
he / she / it
|
doesn't
|
* Verb: The verb that
goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive without TO before
the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just
the have part.
Remember that the
infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it begins
with TO. For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak
etc.
Examples of Negative
Sentences with Don't and Doesn't:
- You don't speak
Arabic.
- John doesn't speak
Italian.
- We don't have
time for a rest.
- It doesn't move.
- They don't want
to go to the party.
- She doesn't like
fish.
Questions in the Simple Present Tense
To make a question in
English we normally use Do or Does. It has no translation in Spanish though
it is essential to show we are making a question. It is normally put at the
beginning of the question.
- Affirmative: You speak English.
Question: Do you speak English?
You will see that we
add DO at the beginning of the affirmative sentence to make it
a question. We use Dowhen the subject is I, you, we or they.
- Affirmative: He speaks French.
Question: Does he speak French?
When the subject
is he, she or it, we add DOES at
the beginning to make the affirmative sentence a question. Notice that the
letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence
(because it is in third person) disappears in the question. We will see the
reason why below.
We DON'T use Do or Does in
questions that have the verb To Be or Modal Verbs (can,
must, might, should etc.)
Word Order of Questions with Do and Does
The following is the
word order to construct a basic question in English using Do or Does.
|
Do/Does
|
Subject
|
Verb*
|
The Rest of the sentence
|
|
Do
|
I / you / we / they
|
have / need
want etc.
|
a new bike?
|
|
Does
|
he / she / it
|
*Verb: The verb that
goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive without TO before
the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just
the have part.
Remember that the
infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it begins
with TO. For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak
etc.
Examples of Questions
with Do and Does:
- Do you need a dictionary?
- Does Mary need a dictionary?
- Do we have a meeting now?
- Does it rain a lot in winter?
- Do they want to go to the
party?
- Does he like pizza?
Short Answers with Do and Does
In questions that use
do/does it is possible to give short answers to direct questions as follows:
|
Sample Questions
|
Short Answer
(Affirmative)
|
Short Answer
(Negative)
|
|
Do you like chocolate?
|
Yes, I do.
|
No, I don't.
|
|
Do I need a pencil?
|
Yes, you do.
|
No, you don't.
|
|
Do you both like chocolate?
|
Yes, we do.
|
No, we don't.
|
|
Do they like chocolate?
|
Yes, they do.
|
No, they don't.
|
|
Does he like chocolate?
|
Yes, he does.
|
|
|
Does she like chocolate?
|
Yes, she does.
|
No, she doesn't.
|
|
Does it have four wheels?
|
Yes, it does.
|
No, it doesn't.
|
However, if a question
word such as who, when, where, why, which or how is
used in the question, you can not use the short answers above to respond to the
question.
